Chapter 15

Ethan Blackwood frowned. “Not feeling well?” Clara Walton shook her head. “Nope.” “Then what’s wrong?” His voice held a tinge of concern, though he didn’t seem to notice it himself. Clara let out a soft “oh” before replying, “I just think Miss Barrington didn’t really want to see me. Maybe… I shouldn’t have come.” Her tone was so innocently pitiful it almost felt performative. Even Graham Anderson shot her a sideways glance. Fiona Barrington’s face darkened further. Ethan, however, didn’t react as he turned to look at Clara. Trying to keep her composure, Fiona forced a polite smile. “Of course not. Why wouldn’t I welcome you? You are my sister, after all… my father’s illegitimate daughter.” She was clearly trying to provoke Clara. But all Clara did was smile. “Yeah, and sis, you came back just to introduce your fiancé to the rest of us?” she said casually, brows arched, looking notably cheerful. Fiona hadn’t managed to get under Clara’s skin—instead, she only angered herself. The tension was palpable to everyone in the room. Ethan remained silent. With him quiet, no one else dared speak—not even Graham. Fiona was barely holding it together. Back in the day, Ethan would never have brought Clara to an event like this—because Clara wasn’t “worthy.” But now? He showed up hand in hand with her. That… spoke volumes. Was he trying to embarrass Fiona? Even when Clara was subtly throwing shade, Ethan didn’t say a word. That silence practically threw Fiona under the bus. Meanwhile, Clara calmly met Fiona’s furious glare, then tilted her head to look up at Ethan. She gently slipped her hand out of his. Ethan noticed the empty space in his palm and frowned slightly. Then came Clara’s soft voice: “Honey, I think Miss Barrington genuinely doesn’t want me around. Why don’t you stay and enjoy the night? I’ll have the driver take me home. We can do this another time.” A graceful exit. It made Fiona look like the one throwing a tantrum. Fiona finally snapped. “Stop pretending, Clara.” Clara blinked innocently. “Did I say anything untrue?” “You—” Fiona had no comeback. Clara smiled again, calm as ever. “Or… are you just in a great mood seeing me? Especially since I’m Mrs. Blackwood now?” It was classic sugar-coated sarcasm—hitting all the right nerves. Fiona’s expression shifted completely this time. She turned to Ethan. “Ethan, you’re really just going to let Clara bully me like this?” That caught Clara’s attention too. Ethan replied coolly, “Did she say anything wrong?” “Ethan, you—” Fiona’s voice trembled with emotion. The room fell into an awkward silence. Graham finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Alright, that’s enough. Ethan, you’re way out of line. You knew Fiona was coming back, and you still brought Clara? What, wanted to rub it in? You know what Fiona’s been through…” Before he could finish, Fiona had already stormed off. Ethan stayed rooted to the spot. Graham shot him a disapproving look, then quickly went after Fiona. Everyone else in the room found some excuse to leave—nobody wanted to get caught in the aftermath. Except Clara, who stayed as nonchalant as ever, calmly snacking on fruit. “Aren’t you going after her? She looked really upset.” Clara took a bite of watermelon. “If you go now, play the nice guy and say something sweet, she might just break down crying and run back to you.” She even thoughtfully planned out her husband’s potential reconciliation with his ex. How considerate. But Ethan just stood there, totally unfazed, hands in his pockets, towering over Clara as she casually took a seat. “You did that on purpose,” his tone left no room for doubt. Well—duh. Even a fool could see that. Clara didn’t bother defending herself. She simply stabbed another chunk of melon, ready to pop it in her mouth when Ethan stopped her mid-bite. Clara frowned. “Ethan, seriously?” “It’s not good for you. Too cold for someone pregnant,” he said, voice low and steady. Clara wanted to snap back with a ‘not your problem,’ but the look he gave her was enough to shut her up. Still, the moment he looked away, she seized the chance and bit the melon straight off her fork. Ethan: “…” Clara looked way too smug about it. She’d taken such a big bite that juice dripped down the side of her mouth. Ethan stared—until he let out a quiet, frustrated laugh. Next thing she knew, he was tipping her chin up, eyes locked on hers. “Clara, seriously, are you trying to get on my nerves?” “It’s good watermelon,” she said, completely ignoring the question. Her lips moved slowly, deliberately. The way she spoke almost felt like a tease. Ethan’s gaze darkened, and before either of them knew it, he dipped his head and kissed her. Clara froze for a second. Yep, they were kissing. And with that sweet watermelon flavor lingering between them, the whole thing felt oddly… sensual? “Close your eyes. Who kisses with their eyes wide open like that?” Ethan mumbled against her lips. Alright, alright. Eyes closed. Just like that, the mood shifted, and things easily slipped into something more heated. Neither of them noticed the door quietly creaking open behind them. Graham had managed to talk Fiona into coming back. But clearly, neither of them expected to walk in on this scene. Fiona’s face turned ghostly pale. When Ethan finally noticed, Clara did too. He pulled away, and Clara just shrugged, suddenly way too calm. While Ethan was still distracted, Clara sneakily reached for another piece of melon. Ethan smacked her hand away, eyeing her like this wasn’t just about watermelon—it was a whole warning: don’t push it. Clara only smiled. Oh? Looks like Mr. Blackwood actually cares. “I want to go home,” Fiona suddenly said, turning to Graham. Graham furrowed his brow, clearly reading the room. “Sure. I’ll take you.” “Thanks.” Fiona nodded. Ethan stayed silent the whole time. Soon, the two walked out, leaving him right where he stood. “So… are we just gonna hang around here eating watermelon now?” Clara asked innocently. “Home. Now,” Ethan said flatly. Fair enough. The show’s over anyway—what were they supposed to stick around for? Clara shrugged, got up cool as ever, and followed Ethan out. He didn’t bother holding her hand this time. Not that Clara cared. On the way out, she suddenly needed the bathroom—guess the watermelon got to her. She turned back mid-step. Ethan didn’t say anything. After she finished and stepped out of the restroom, she unexpectedly ran into Fiona at the stairs. Well, isn’t that a coincidence. Clara could only think—just great. Could this night get any messier?